Could a ceasefire in Gaza finally be declared? More than two months after the failure of the last negotiations, the United States and Qatar announced this Thursday, October 24, a resumption of discussions with a view to a truce in the Palestinian enclave devastated by more than a year of war.
Visiting Doha, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken confirmed the resumption of these negotiations. After his meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister, whose country is among the mediators and hosts the political office of the Palestinian Islamist movement, the American Secretary of State affirmed that the negotiators would meet “in the coming days”. “We discussed options to capitalize on this moment and the next steps to move the process forward” and obtain the release of hostages held in Gaza, he said at a press conference.
The United States and Qatar are seeking a plan “so that Israel can withdraw (from Palestinian territory), Hamas cannot reconstitute itself and Palestinians can rebuild their lives and their future. […] This is the time to work to end this war, ensure that all the hostages return home and build a better future for the people of Gaza,” insisted the head of American diplomacy.
Israel and Hamas open to discussions
For there to be a truce, the parties involved in the conflict must commit to this. In this case, the declarations from Israel and Hamas seem likely to revive the prospect of an end to the fighting in Gaza, even if it has now been almost a year since the Jewish state and the Islamist movement rejected each other. responsibility for diplomatic failures.
After discussions in Cairo between Egyptian officials and a Hamas delegation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this Thursday that he would send his head of foreign intelligence (Mossad), David Barnea, to Qatar. He is due to meet CIA chief Bill Burns and the Qatari Prime Minister on Sunday to discuss “different options for resuming negotiations on the release of the hostages”. The number one Mossad has already met with senior Egyptian officials as part of efforts for a “return to negotiations and for a cease-fire”, reported the Al Qahera News channel, close to Egyptian intelligence.
For its part, Hamas “showed itself ready for a cessation of hostilities” but demanded from Israel a “commitment to a ceasefire”, a “withdrawal from the Gaza Strip” and a “serious agreement for an exchange” of Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7 and held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, said a leader of the movement. These conditions, presented during previous indirect negotiations, had been rejected by Israel.
An “opportunity” after the death of Sinouar
The latest negotiations were based on the plan presented by American President Joe Biden on May 31, providing for a suspension of fighting and a release of hostages. But the discussions had bogged down, mainly due to the insistence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to maintain Israeli troops on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Antony Blinken, who arrived in Qatar after stops in Israel and Saudi Arabia, for his part affirmed that the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinouar, killed in Gaza by Israeli soldiers in mid-October, created an “opportunity” to move forward. , because “the main obstacle to the conclusion of this agreement was Sinouar”. The situation is not yet “clear”, but the Qatari mediators have since “resumed contact” with the Hamas political bureau, declared the Qatari Prime Minister.
The head of American diplomacy indicated that the United States was ready to explore “new frameworks” for an agreement. According to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations with the Financial TimesWashington would like to propose a form of “mini-agreement” in comparison to the discussions that failed last August. This would notably include a temporary truce period shorter than the six weeks originally planned. But always with the same objective of achieving the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as well as ultimately the definitive end of the fighting and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave.
“We have not yet determined whether Hamas (is) ready to engage, but the next step is to bring together the negotiators […]. We will certainly know more in the days to come,” added Antony Blinken. On the Israeli side, Benjamin Netanyahu for his part affirmed after the death of Yahya Sinouar that the Jewish state was “determined to achieve all its war objectives and to change the reality of security in the region for generations to come”. The far-right parties in the Israeli Prime Minister’s coalition, essential to the latter to govern, also categorically refuse an end to the war in Gaza. say that even if hopes are revived, it is still difficult to imagine a short-term ceasefire at the moment.